Friday, September 28, 2018

Here's a brief update. We've flown these a number of times now, drag racing fun; the last time at NARAM 60. I finally have the paint finished, decals placed and canopies installed. I don't have a pic of all four and one of them is still missing the nose cone.

Fun rockets with lots of potential. Some of the decals are kit decals, the rest are from Sirius Rocketry.

I'm still thinking about buying four more and kit-bashing F6Fs with a Blue Angels scheme.

Friday, August 17, 2018

Over the years, I've grown to hate BT-20 body tubes.
The first time I tried to remove a friction fit engine from an Estes Beta, the tube was bent and the rocket unusable.

Now available from JonRocket.com:BT-20H HEAVY WALL BODY TUBES!
To see the listing, CLICK HERE

On the left is a Estes BT-20, on the right the Odd'l BT-20H tube.
Standard Estes BT-20 style tubing is thin walled (.013") and prone to buckling and bends. Thin wall tubes can’t insulate against the heat of ejection charges. Paint above the engine mount area can blister.

This new tubing has the same wall thickness (.021") as a BT-55 or BT-60 tube.
The inside diameter is the same as a BT-20 tube. (.710")
Thicker wall tubing is less likely to shrink or “coke bottle” when a glue fillet dries.
Standard engine blocks (5/20 rings) will fit as an engine block.
Existing centering rings can be easily peeled or sanded to fit the slightly wider outside diameter.

Monday, August 6, 2018

I participated in the Manufacturer's forum on Sunday night with new products from Odd'l Rockets.
On the right is the new BT-20H, heavy walled BT-20 tubing. It has the same wall thickness as a BT-55 or BT-60.
Imagine the applications - Stronger stuffer tubes, strap on boosters, Super-roc competitions and general sport flying with longer life models!

I have never been a fan of the BT-20 style tubing ever since I crimped the BT-20 on my Estes Beta trying to remove a friction fit engine.
This stronger tubing will better insulate a hot engine and won't shrink up when the white glue dries! A perfect fit with the Apogee plastic (Starlight) nose cones.

Here's the new engine mount incorporating the BT-20H HEAVY WALL TUBE. Stronger for general use and great for the new, more powerful Q-Jet composites.

These Odd'l Rockets engine mounts have a 3" long SPRING STEEL engine hook. That extra 1/4" length hook allows you to glue the engine block in under the upper bend of the engine hook.

The REPLACEABLE KEVLAR mount ties the cord underneath the lower centering ring. Pull it out, check the condition of the line and replace if needed.

I was given a new Quest C12-6 Q-Jet engine for testing (Shown above). I went back to the hotel to get the products together and test the fit of the engine. The newer, slightly smaller diameter Q-Jets are a perfect fit with the labels on!

My third product unveil was a long time coming.
The Odd'l Rockets FIN TOOL will finally be sold after I return from NARAM. Many were interested in a demonstration after I was meeting participants at the front of the hall. These will probably show up on the Odd'l vendors websites in September.

Monday, June 4, 2018

I got an email from Gary S. asking for a measurement in the F-104 Starfighter instructions. On the first run of the kit instructions were missing a measurement.In Step 20, the back end of the intake nose cone half is glued 5 5/16" from the back end of the main air frame tube. Step 20 is shown above.I've sold quite a few of these kits and haven't heard from anybody about the omission. Sorry for any confusion! If your build is a little off, it shouldn't matter. I've seen F-104s fly at club launches with no stability problems.

About Me

Avid builder and sometime flyer of LPR rockets.
Started in 1969 with the Vashon "Cold Powered" liquid Freon powered rockets because of rigid California fireworks laws.
Back into LPR rocketry with a vengeance!
In October 2009 I started Odd'l Rockets, a small rocketry company selling Odd-Rocs and accessories.